Psychotherapy. Reaction Paper. Psychology Assignment.

Reaction Paper
Student’s Name
Institution
Reaction Paper
Part A
Psychotherapy
I chose the topic of psychotherapy from unit 8, which is a type of treatment for mental disorders (OpenStax, n.d.a). This topic is relevant to me because I understand the importance of mental health in the workplace and society. However, I currently live in a country (China) where psychotherapy is highly required but its practice is limited. According to an article published by Clay (2019) in the American Psychological Association, the practice of psychotherapy in China is limited to hospitals. As such, it is only psychiatrists who have the training on and practice psychotherapy, and there are only a few psychiatrists. Matching societal need for psychotherapy will require an increase in practicing psychologists even in the workplace, which is why psychotherapy is relevant to me. I believe in having the necessary tools to help people deal with issues and promote their mental health. Specifically, my interest is more in Cognitive-behavioral therapy (CBT). According to Ng, et al. (2016) CBT is a more acceptable form of psychotherapy among the Chinese, and this is an area that I would want to understand and contribute to the growing acceptance of psychotherapy in China, whether as a potential patient or as a potential psychologist.
While going through the topic, what was new to me is the fact that there are many types of psychotherapy. Before enrolling for this course and learning about psychology, I only thought that psychotherapy is the same as counseling where you sit with a counselor/ psychologists and talk about your issues. It is through this topic that I came to understand that what I have always thought to be psychotherapy is psychodynamic psychotherapy or talk therapy (OpenStax, n.d.a). Learning about other types of psychotherapy has shifted my perspective and I am more informed on the issue now.
I agree with the authors that deciding on which type of psychotherapy to utilize relies on factors such as the utilization of evidence-based treatment, clinical expertise, and patient characteristics (OpenStax, n.d.a). More importantly, I agree that culture matters and I think it probably carries more weight. This is because different cultures have different beliefs and practices which may hinder the effectiveness of the treatment. For instance, I come from a culture where talking about our emotions is uncommon and as such, talk therapy may be less effective.
I have a friend who has been seeing a therapist but only shared this information with me when I told them that I am taking a course in psychology. They told me how talking to a therapist has helped them deal with loss since they lost several family members during the first wave of Covid-19. This gave me a new appreciation for psychotherapy.
Sexual Victimization
In unit 9, I chose sexual victimization as a relevant topic. This topic is relevant to me because it hits closer to home. Understanding the issue of sexual victimization and specifically, child sexual abuse (CSA) is crucial to me on a personal level. I know someone who was sexually abused as a child by a trusted family member and no one believed them. It baffles me why anyone would do that but going through thi...